


A Most Unfavorable Deal

by CaffieneKitty



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221B Ficlet, Case Fic (ish), Challenge Response, Community: watsons_woes, Gen, I Don't Even Know, Ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 17:43:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2077248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffieneKitty/pseuds/CaffieneKitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The strangest things can provide motive for murder.</p><p>
  <span class="small">(Written for the watsons_woes LJ comm July Writing Prompts challenge. This 221b uses all seven of the Amnesty prompts, so it's a little... odd.)</span>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Most Unfavorable Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [**watsons_woes**](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/) Amnesty Prompt #6: Something from Nothing. (AKA Make your own prompt.) The prompt I made up is "Combine multiple pre-existing prompts in a single entry." So, I leave it up to the **watsons_woes** comm mods whether this also counts for the other prompts used here, namely the following [Amnesty Prompts](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/1192747.html): #1-Hidden Words, #2-Favorite Format (221B), #3-No Joke, #4-Stellar (the crab nebula), #5-John Constable, and #7-The Terrible Storm Has.... All together to make this particular 221B a **watsons_woes** Amnesty Prompt Grand Slam.  (I mainly just did it to see if I could, I'm not fussed about the points :-D)
> 
> PS: I get a word count of exactly 221 for this, but I think all the format tags have done the AO3 word counter an injury.

"Obviously it's a deal gone wrong, but there's no drugs or valuables anywhere in this flat. Then this arrived today." Lestrade passed an opened courier envelope. "Should have been delivered yesterday, but flooding from that terrible storm delayed it. Cut off whole villages."

Intended recipient behind him, dead on the floor, Sherlock examined the framed postcard inside. A colourful explosion on a black field, with an embossed overlay:  


> _Just flew back from holiday in the_  
>  _Crab/Orion Star Nebula. Boy are_  
>  _my arms tired._

"It's a space-thing. John?"

"Nebula," John said, peering over Sherlock's shoulder. "I've heard of the Crab and Orion, but not in combination. They've nothing to do with each other. Never heard of a Star Nebula either."

"See," Lestrade said, "the timing seems like the deal was over this, but the delay bollixed it. Buyer killed the seller."

"But who kills someone over a space postcard?" asked John.

"Exactly."

Sherlock hummed, tilting it, viewing it edge-on. A faint difference- "Anderson! UV torch!"

With egregious mutterings, Anderson slapped the torch into Sherlock's outstretched palm. Sherlock shone UV light onto the card, turning it to face the Yarders.  


>   
> **J** _ust flew back fr_ **o** _m_ **h** _oliday i_ **n** _the_  
>  **C** _rab/_ **O** _rio_ **n** **Sta** _r Ne_ **b** _u_ **l** _a. Boy ar_ **e**   
> _my arms tired._  
> 

"Remove the ridiculous postcard." Sherlock passed the parcel back. "You'll find a John Constable painting, missing since July, worth half a million pounds."

"Really?" gasped Lestrade.

John grinned. "Brilliant!"

-.-.-  
(that's all of them! \o/)


End file.
